Sunday, 24 January 2010

Another wonderful booky week for me.. and I am still on a natural high….

I started the week by making a journey to the library, to be honest that didn’t start so well but I am trying to use the library more and after asking the inquiry desk if and when m/m books will make the shelves (which did not go over well) I got stuck into finding my books and have pencilled that m/m topic to fight another day…

Although I did write a request to have yaoi books available in the library…. let’s see how that will turn out..

The most exciting thing that happened was that I found a real person who reads the same sort of books I read - I was in cloud nine. I don't know how many of you guys have real people who you can just chat about books with – but I don't and it was so good to find this person.

We have chatted about, Spec Fic, Steampunk, fantasy – graphic novels, historical, cartoons and all the other stuff that I love… I still cant believe my little ruckus in the library set off a chain of events that put him and me in the right place at the right time to meet each other…

It is the most wonderful feeling to literally sit down and talk to someone about a book or a plot or a character - there was actually a twinkle in my eyes… not all good I can tell you.

Midweek, I had a good chat with some of you guys about Steampunk on my Discussion Point post and spend a good portion of the last three days on the Romance Diva Steampunk workshop seeing how the published Steampunk authors and the upcoming Steampunk authors get their act together and the process behind their research…

A good session I thought..

Chris from Stumbling over Chaos once again pimped loads of ereaders my way via links and comment, as my eyes are starting to wonder from my Fitzroy and I am looking at all the cool and sexed up ereaders around…. With Amazon DX going global on the 19th January I am hoping some of these prices will come down.

On the other side of the coin – this week Apple is set to announce it’s newest creation – on some of the techy media that I follow there is speculation it could be a ereader, a tablet or a larger version of the iphone…

I await their announcement…

I am still on another week of no-reviews on the blog and I am loving the amount of books I am reading and the quality of the books as well – I had a wonderful if traumatic time with my old girls on Thursday over Willa Okati newest release.. Check back tomorrow I am doing a round up…

My little bookshop lady is getting inventive and dipping her fingers into other outlet to keep her little shop open. I am so attached to this place.

Second hand book is big business over here and she is trying to incorporate that into the shop and of course digital work/borrowing will only get bigger and bigger – so she is also doing loads of research on that to see how fair it is and how accessible it is for everyone…

I have gotten my hands on the Gaymes, Anthology this weekend and I am planning to read the entire thing – for people who know me, I never read all the work in an Anthology.. But all my guilty pleasure authors are in this one – so I am looking for a fun read …

Highland Gaymes by Carol LynneThere's more to a man than what's under his kilt.Shaw Fitzgerald loves touring the United States with his brothers. A fiddle player since an early age, music is the only thing he's ever been passionate about. That is, until he sees Curt Macaula compete for the first time. As a competitor in the Highland Games, Curt knows how important it is to concentrate on the individual events. Getting distracted while tossing a one hundred and fifty pound pole isn't an option. Away from his events, Curt is free to ogle the very pretty member of the Brothers Fitzgerald band. Toward the end of the season, Curt knows it's time to make his move. With Shaw being guarded by four macho brothers, it won't be easy, but Curt is determined to win the man of his dreams.

Good Cop, Bad Cop by Jenna Byrnes and Jude MasonTwo hot studs, an evening of scorching sex, a pub, and the gaymes begin...or have they?Officer Kevin Sands and his lover get off on playing games - role playing games. When one of their escapades goes awry, will someone else pay the price for their fun? Or can the lovers solve a mystery that could mean the end of everything they hold dear?

Elliot's War by Kim DareThe Welsh and the English. Celts and invaders. Captors and prisoners. Victors and slaves. Let the war games begin!The woodland war is billed by the university as an important exploration of differing cultural traditions within the British Isles. As far as Elliot understands it, the game involves the local Welsh students and those who invade the university from across the border, waging a war in the woodlands that surround the university. Elliot's not quite sure how he ended up agreeing to take part in the war game. Nor is he entirely sure how he ended up running through the forest wearing a skimpy toga while being chased by a dozen Celtic warriors - all of them painted a very historically inaccurate shade of blue woad. For better or worse, Elliot's about to get an education that wasn't advertised in the university prospectus.

Crossed Hearts by Lisabet SaraiWhen love is the prize, everyone wins.For the past six years, Jason Hofstadter has attended the Four States Annual Scrabble Tournament. Jason comes to the Four States for two reasons - to play Scrabble and to get laid. Every year since his first, he has managed to hook up with one of the other players for some sexual fun. This year he has a chance at the grand prize in the tournament. Meanwhile, he figures he has hit the jackpot when he spots handsome, bookish Matt Sawyer, who's competing at the Four States for the first time. Shy and seemingly innocent, Matt turns out to be full of surprises. First, he jumps Jason in the rest room at Starbucks. Then he reveals that he's into BDSM and encourages Jason to experiment with topping him. Finally, despite his lack of experience with tournament play, Matt ends up competing with Jason in the semi-final round. When Matt throws the game he should have won, Jason is forced to confront his own feelings - about winning, about casual sex, and about Matt.

Rough Riders by Devon RhodesPlaying by different rules can lead to heartbreak, but changing the game plan can be the tiebreaker.Luke Briscoe has a good reason to stay in the closet with his team, the Rough Riders. Bitter past experience has taught him to be cautious around athletic teams. But after Mario, his teammate and lover of ten years, leaves him, tired of the secrecy, Luke is forced to confront his fears, especially since the sexy and confident new member of the team, Derek Grimm, has no problem with being out and proud. Derek has wanted Luke from the first moment he saw him. But he knows the timing is all wrong, and vows to let Luke have the time he needs to recover from his breakup. As time goes on, though, Derek becomes frustrated with Luke's determination to stay in the closet. Derek and Mario are out, and the team is fine with it. Why is Luke still holding back? Derek wonders if any amount of time will ever be enough. Maybe it's time to try a different game plan...

Contact Point by Gwendolyn CeaseWhen two men who have nothing to lose and come together for one night, they both discover a connection they never thought possible.Jesse Chandler needed a place to get out of the storm. What he found was a bar catering exclusively to wolf shifters. Cade Reynolds, pack Alpha and bar owner, sees nothing but trouble when the small human wanders into his bar. When Jesse signs up for the pool tournament, Cade decides to let him participate, so he'll lose and leave. Instead, Jesse wins every game he plays until a storm puts the brakes on everything. Jesse desperately needed to win the tournament prize money, but instead of a nice cosy room, he ends up squatting under a tree for shelter. When Cade invites him home for the night, Jesse has no choice, but to accept. Sit under a tree in the pouring rain or sleep in a house...No one ever said Jesse was a fool. All Cade wanted was to offer Jesse a place to stay for the night. But one touch from the smaller male made him realise that sleeping wasn't what was on his mind. Cade wanted Jesse, but the wolf wanted to keep Jesse forever.

What is the Sunday Salon? Imagine some university library's vast reading room. It's filled with people--students and faculty and strangers who've wandered in. They're seated at great oaken desks, books piled all around them, and they're all feverishly reading and jotting notes in their leather-bound journals as they go. Later they'll mill around the open dictionaries and compare their thoughts on the afternoon's literary intake....

That's what happens at the Sunday Salon, except it's all virtual. Every Sunday the bloggers participating in that week's Salon get together--at their separate desks, in their own particular time zones--and read. And blog about their reading. And comment on one another's blogs. Think of it as an informal, weekly, mini read-a-thon, an excuse to put aside one's earthly responsibilities and fall into a good book

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Speak To Me:

E.H. that is just wonderful to hear that you met a 'real' person to talk to about books! I hope you two are able to keep in touch through the years. I have my mom! We read alot of the same books. It's nice discussing them with her. I never rant about issues I have with a book on my blog, I have her! And we usually see eye to eye. And I don't feel bad, becasue it's strictly between the two of us. But I have yet to happen across someone other than her who shares my reading tastes outside of the internet.

It's great that you've found someone who shares your reading interests. So far, I haven't found anyone in "real life" who shares mine. Hopefully the library will consider the yaoi request, but it will probably take a while.

Yay for finding a book friend in your area! I was very happy to meet CJ and discover that she lives all of 8 blocks from me.

LOL - um, you're welcome? ;) I do like to keep up on the various ereading devices...

Good luck on the m/m books and the library. My library system has some gay fiction (a fair amount of it is YA, actually), but I was sort of surprised that there wasn't more, since 12.5% of the population of Minneapolis declares as GLB.

Hi EH, what an incredible moment that you've got to meet a kindred spirit :) I know how it feels, met me a couple of gals who had the same frame of mind regarding books a few years back. I hope it wasn't the last time you met him.

PS: I am getting all hot and bothered about a cover on your sidebar; SAMAEL by Dawn McClure. Is the inside as good as the outside??

You made me giggle there when I think of you in the library asking when they will stock m/m. I imagine a little old lady with gray hair all puffed up with outrage and you standing there tapping your foot asking, 'Why?' LOL

I have a couple of people I can talk books with irl and you are right, it's sooo much fun!

It's wonderful that you met this guy who shares your reading interests! I have quite a few friends with whom I can talk about books and reading and Im also a member of a little reading group that gathers at my place every 4-6 weeks to talk about books. But the books are always literary fiction and never of the romance genre, let alone of the erotic kind ;) It gives me a booste to talk about books with friends though!

Your library sounds pretty liberated when I compare it with mine. No adult books here :)

I haven't been to my local library in ages, and now after reading your post, I want to go and see if they stock m/m books. If not, I'll be at the counter, bugging the librarian to stock them. Though I have a feeling I'll get the same reaction as you did. But, if no one asks, then there is pretty much no chance they'll stock ever stock them.

That's fabulous that you met someone who has similar reading interests! It is so fun to talk books with people in person. The interest is great, but it's not exactly the same as sitting down and chatting books.

That is my problem with bookclubs - there are a few I could find, but I dont want to discuss literary fiction and the one time I actually joined one of these venture - all they did was drink and thought of it as a way to get out of the house for the evening...